Competitive Brain Age: Joystiq pwns

by Jennie Lees { May 12th 2006 at 5:30PM }

At the Nintendo booth, people have been constantly queueing for Brain Age. Calculating by yourself is fun, but it doesn't come close to the competitive thrill of remembering your times tables faster than the next guy.

We're proud to say we won our tournament, coming in with the respectable (for day three of E3) time of 28 seconds. Interestingly, the runner-up (with a very close time) was also a girl, with the two guys taking over twice as long to finish -- draw what conclusions you will from that.

Tags: booth, brain, brain age, BrainAge, competition, e32006, events, high score, HighScore, nintendo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Judd @ May 12th 2006 5:34PM

Wait are you talking about 28 seconds on Calculations *20? Because I have 13 seconds as the quickest time on the Brain Age I'm playing.

jabbertrack @ May 12th 2006 5:37PM

only a girl would call a multiplication table a 'times' table I suppose :)

Paul P. @ May 12th 2006 5:39PM

Yeah, 12.86 is about my best time. Statistically, men are better at math. We're biologically the superior creature. This contest was a simple anomaly. ;)

JodyAnthony @ May 12th 2006 5:45PM

first of all, im sure its harder to concentrate there than sitting at home playing like im sure the commenters did. second of all, im a guy and i call it a times table.

AoE @ May 12th 2006 5:47PM

"Interestingly, the runner-up (with a very close time) was also a girl, with the two guys taking over twice as long to finish -- draw what conclusions you will from that."

Jennie Lees thinks coy sexisim is clever? Sorry, it isn't.

Spoon @ May 12th 2006 6:03PM

I agree with AoE.

Blatant sexism is much more funny.

jennie @ May 12th 2006 6:08PM

Sexism and observations are different things, folks.

The head-to-head calculation battle has thirty questions; I'm not sure why the difference, but thank goodness it's not 100 ;)

AoE @ May 12th 2006 6:20PM

Jennie, you're 100% correct that Sexism and observations are different things. What makes your statment sexist is HOW you worded it, and the connotation of your wording, not the results in and of themselves. Jennie, you're 100% correct, sexism and observations are different things. What makes your statment sexist is HOW you worded it, and the connotation of your wording, not the results in and of themselves.

For example, say I get cut off in traffic, and the drive's female. I could say "the woman driving that car cut me off." and I wouldn't be making a sexist statment. or I could say "That woman driver cut me off." and there would be no mistaking it as a sexist comment.

Here's another example. Instead of saying what you did above, you could have said something along the lines of "The runner-up was also a girl, the two guys playing against us took over twice as long to finish." The difference in the intent and tone is very different now, yet the observation remains the same, correct?

Stealth43 @ May 12th 2006 6:29PM

dont you know AoE? Women CANT be sexist. Only men. If a girl is being sexist, she isnt being sexist.
...
...
...
shes being cute.

...god I love double standards

Kasumi-Astra @ May 12th 2006 6:34PM

Hmmm... Sounds like they weren't the only two guys to be beaten by girls recently...

Common guys, lighten up. Over the week of E3 with all the booth babes and the Frag Dolls, and you cry foul at this? You've got a lot to learn about sexism and gender discrimination.

Marlor @ May 12th 2006 6:39PM

@jabbertrack:

"Times Table" is pretty much the standard terminology here in Australia, and probably in Britain too. But then we call it "maths", rather than "math", so we're a bit strange.

AoE @ May 12th 2006 6:48PM

Kasumi,

Just so we're on the same page... what you're saying is that since sexism is rampant already, screw it, let it slide? AWESOME approach to fixing a problem! Please remember your own words when next you feel discriminated against. ;)

And no, this has nothing to do with getting beaten by girls. Personally I find sexism, regardless of targeted gender, offensive. Joystiq's a pretty enjoyable blog, and it's become one of my main video game news sources, so it sticks in my craw when i see things like this. I'm not trying to be preachy, but really, are you really okay with sexism? or are you just okay with this because it's minor and not directed at you?

Bradley Toast @ May 12th 2006 7:04PM

Bradley Toast walks in, slaps some posters, apologizes to Jennie, and vanishes as quickly as he had appeared.

Spoon @ May 12th 2006 7:21PM

Don't take life so seriously.

A joke against guys? Sure.
Sexism? Hardly.

At worst you could call it lighthearted trash-talking.
RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE

Kasumi-Astra @ May 12th 2006 7:44PM

No, you're right, sexism is bad. Thing is though, that I really don't think this registers on the radar. I was merely pointing out that there have been much bigger abuses of gender this week but so many fail to point them out. Perhaps you can elighten us on your views on the exploitation of men's attraction to Women in the form of booth babes, and then I think we can have a proper debate.